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Original poster

solar panels???

27 replies

BunInMyOven93 · 20/09/2013 16:25

Hi ladies.
Dont know whether anybody knows much about these, but im moving into a brand new property next week (rented from housing.association) and the roof has solar panels installed. The landlords have said that they will save on electricity bills, just curious about approx how much we would be saving per month? Im aware that it will probablly be a lot more in the summer due to sunlight hours etc. Lol. Any info would be appreciated xx

OP posts:

lljkk · 20/09/2013 20:41

Depends on how many what provider when you use your lekki which subsidy tarriff who gets the subsidy, etc.
We got in on the best tariff & profit £500/yr from our panels after all other energy costs. You won't get the subsidy I imagine, so best case scenario maybe £10-£20/month off your bill? We try to run immersion heater & washing machine/dishwasher during daylight.

PigStack · 21/09/2013 13:28

Not much info - we have them but they only heat water and bear in mind that it does have to be sunlight - so it can be freezing but sunny and they work but hot and overcast they don't.

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 14:06

Im not sure on the provider yet as i dont sign all the paper work until tuesday :(. I suppose whether we save £20 or £200 a year we're still saving money! :) im sure i will get my head around them soon! thankyou xx

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Talkinpeace · 21/09/2013 16:32

friends have pv panels : if the feed in tariff comes to you then you are quids in
but even if not, so long as you use electric when the panels are running (your meter will show) you will save
washing machine etc

I have a solar thermal panel that does my hot water and it does ALL my water from April to September and about half of it during the winter ...

pudtat · 21/09/2013 16:40

Yup, even if you don't get feed in tariff - and I doubt you do - the key is to use as much as poss of what you generate. So do use stuff during the day when it's sunny. Opposite thinking to Economy 7! Use timers to sequence things if need be - eg washing machine timer delay for 1 hour before you go to work, dishwasher 3 hours to give wm time to run, etc.

MikeLitoris · 21/09/2013 16:42

The FIT agreement will be with your housing association. You will just get the benefit from the use of the panels.

Do you know what size the installation is?

To get the most from them you need to be at home during the day when they are generating.

Keep in mind that you cannot store the energy you generate, if you don't use it straight away it goes back to the grid.

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 16:54

So basically the best time to do washing, cooking (electric cooker), etc would be during sunlight.hours? so it doesnt save up and like, carry over to the next day? sorry to sound dumb im such a newbie! lol. This is our first family home. Im currently pregnant and will be a stay at home mum for a year or so anyway so the being at hoke during the day is not a problem :) x

OP posts:

Talkinpeace · 21/09/2013 16:54

set the immersion to heat your hot water between noon and 2 : or whenever the sun is most opposite your panels

run the washing machine in the day (yup, timers are great)
charge laptops in the day and run them on batteries in the dark
take the plug off the tumble drier and use an airer
make sure everything like TVs and laptops and printers is switched off at night

checked with a friend whose bills are down to around £5 a month in summer - before the FIT

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 16:57

I wasnt aware that they heat water too! like i.said, im a major newbie lol.

And mikelitoris (funny name :p) im not sure on the size or anything like that. Suppose i would have been better off posting on tuesday when i know more info about them x

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BellaOfTheBalls · 21/09/2013 17:01

DH is in the industry. If they were installed prior to April 2012 they will be on the Feed In Tariff (FITS) and you will actually make money because the electricity generated is effectively sold back to the National Grid. If they were installed after that you will get a saving but it will depend on the number of panels installed, the quality of them and over what term the savings were calculated (usually 25 years). Additionally whether the panels are generating electricity or not also depends on the type and quality of panel installed; some (PV panels I think) work on daylight so even on an overcast day you will generate some energy.

Talkinpeace · 21/09/2013 17:03

direct water heating is a solar thermal panel and usually heats up a tank in the airing cupboard or a small tank in the roof
electricity generation (to run the immersion and all other sockets etc ) is a photovoltaic panel
chances are the house may have both if its new ....
in which case you will have VERY low bills :-)

BellaOfTheBalls · 21/09/2013 17:06

Sorry, should also say there is no way of effectively storing the electricity generated so yes, run things that use more electric during daylight hours!

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 17:12

Talkinpeace the house was literally finished being built last week, so its very new :). Theres a huge water tank in the back garden, so that could have something to do with it.
And bella the landlord told me that they will work during all daylight hours - including overcast. X

OP posts:

Talkinpeace · 21/09/2013 17:15

ah, no the huge water tank will probably be grey water harvesting : you really are onto a winner there as it means your water bill will be much lower too.
you lucky person
if only ALL new homes were built to have a low carbon footprint

and yes, PV and solar thermal do not need direct sun to work, just a bit of brightness

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 17:18

Wasn't aware that we had struck gold lol! how exciting. Thankyou for your replies too, wasnt sure how much info i'd get with how little i know about them. I can look back to this when i know more and will understand what you're all talking about :p x

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MikeLitoris · 21/09/2013 17:22

bella OP will only get the payments if the housing association put the FIT agreement in her name. The panels belong to them. I've never seen this be the case ever. You don't automatically get a fit contract, you need to apply and get a contract with a supplier.

and installations after april 2012 still qualify for the scheme as long as the owner of the panels has all the relevant supporting documents.

bun ask as many questions as you like, I deal with people everyday that have panels and do not have a clue how they work. it's surprising that people spend upto £25k on these systems with out the first idea of how they actually work.

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 17:28

i dont know what the "FIT" agreement is. :(
All ive been told is that it will save on my bills. I hope they're not telling me fibs! :p

OP posts:

Bunbaker · 21/09/2013 17:31

We have PV solar panels and have been quids in this year. Our supplier still charges us the going rate, but our last few bills have been negative and we have had over £800 credited into our bank account from the FIT payments.

Incidentally our panels work better in cold bright weather rather than hot bright weather.

Talkinpeace · 21/09/2013 17:33

The HA own the panels.
They get the bonus "feed in tariff" for all the electricity generated that you do not use that is 'fed in' to the national grid

You get to use all of the electricity being generated by the panels that you need.
If you use when they are generating, it costs you nothing.
If you use when they are not generating its like a normal meter.

You will be better off than somebody without panels on their roof.

lborolass · 21/09/2013 17:37

I don't think it's true to say that the panels will make electricity when it's overcast, they need a fair bit of light afaik.

You should get a small meter that will tell you how much is being generated at any time and if you check that you'll be able to use the appliances that use a lot of electricity when the reading is high.

MikeLitoris · 21/09/2013 17:38

you will definitely be better off if you use them right.

bunbaker your post rings alarm bells for me. is your normal meter running backwards? it really shouldn't. you should still be billed for any units you do actually use.

Original poster

BunInMyOven93 · 21/09/2013 17:43

talkinpeace your last reply made a lot of sense!! :) x

OP posts:

BellaOfTheBalls · 21/09/2013 18:23

Ah sorry, had missed the HA part. Sadly they will be getting the generated money from the feed in tariff. Will still save you a good deal of money though.

Bunbaker · 21/09/2013 18:57

"bunbaker your post rings alarm bells for me. is your normal meter running backwards? it really shouldn't. you should still be billed for any units you do actually use."

No our meter doesn't run backwards. It shows that we are using electricity each month, but we were jammy and had our panels installed before they changed the FIT payments. Our electricity supplier also gives us 2p per unit more than the usual rate.

Our bills still state that we pay £23 per month for electricity, but because we get all our utilities from one supplier and we have been generating so much electricity over the last few months (and they have read the meter independently) we get a credit against everything we owe them - (gas, telephone and broadband). And in the summer we have used less than we have generated.

It will different in the winter.

MikeLitoris · 21/09/2013 19:08

Ah I get you. When you said negative bills I assumed you meant minus reads. Meters running backward is a huge problem for suppliers that provide FIT customers.

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